Reflective Prayer
10 – 11:30 a.m.
Looking for another way to pray? Learn and experience reflective prayer in the forms of meditation, contemplation, Lexio and Visio Divina, and Centering Prayer. A journal will be helpful for this course. Sharing will be optional within the group.
Instructor: Karen Lehman is a La Roche University graduate who received a Bachelor of Arts in history and a minor in theology. She obtained an M.E. in social sciences with secondary teaching certification from Shippensburg University. She pursued certification in religious education, spiritual direction, program development and retreats at Kearns Spirituality Center.
Basic Astronomy – Section 1
10 a.m. – Noon
For those completely new to astronomy, the first step is to become familiar with the night sky, how it changes through the night and season by season, and how it varies according to the observer’s latitude. Students in this class will be actively involved in making and using models to enhance learning about their place in the universe. We will learn about our observable sky neighborhood at a very basic level.
Participants must be comfortable being in a slightly confined and dark space for approximately 30 minutes. There is a new dome, so participants do not need to bend over. The area will be lit when entering. This class is a repeat of the other Basic Astronomy courses offered. Registration is open to those who have not used a registered spot for the class before. After Aug. 26, if spots remain, former students can register.
Instructor: Susan Button was an outreach portable planetarium educator for 16 years and a classroom teacher for 11 years. She served on the Executive Council of the International Planetarium Society (IPS) as president elect, president (2005-2008) and then as past president (2009-2010). She has served as chair for the IPS Portable Planetarium Committee from 1988 to the present.
As a consultant, through her business, Quarks to Clusters, she has provided teacher training and assistance to educators involved in lesson and curriculum development in 14 countries around the world since 1990. As associate editor for the “Planetarian”, the IPS quarterly journal, she has written a column for mobile and small planetarium directors since 1990. She also wrote and published, with help from colleagues in the field, two handbooks for the IPS; they were titled “IPS Portable Planetarium Handbook” in the English language and “Tips for Portable and Small Planetarium Users” in Spanish.
What Are Those Teenagers Thinking? Young Adult Fiction for Illumination
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
We will read four young-adult novels, announced to the class a few weeks prior to the beginning of the term. This will be a discussion-based class. The tentative novels are:
- “The Pigman” by Paul Zindel
- “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson
- “Eleanor and Par”k by Rainbow Rowell
- “The Giver” by Lois Lowry
The fun of this class will rest on the variety of the voices in the room, and the wealth of reading and life experience that lie behind those voices.
Instructor: Mary Beth Spore, Ph.D., has been a faculty member and administrator in at the University for Pittsburgh and Saint Vincent College for over 25 years. She has taught many courses in children’s and young adult literature and criticism, as well as writing and speech classes. She loves teaching and learning and seeks both in the classroom. She is a lover of children, dogs, reading and storytelling. A native of Western Pennsylvania, she received her Ph.D. in English education from the University of Pittsburgh.
Water Aerobics
Section 1: 12 – 12:45 p.m.
Section 2: 1 – 1:45 p.m.
Section 3: 2 – 2:45 p.m.
Join us for a low-impact but high-intensity water aerobics class where no swimming skills are needed. This class is designed to improve flexibility, range of motion, strength, muscle tone and cardiovascular endurance while using the resistance of the water to cushion the feet, knees and back. Exercises are performed to lively, motivating music, and are effective and easy to follow.
The program runs though both sessions for approximately 10-12 weeks. Specific dates will be listed in your registration confirmation.
Plus members may register for one water aerobics class per term as part of their membership. If Plus members take an additional class beyond their free day, it is $50 for one additional day, and the cost includes both sessions of ~10 sessions, or $100 for two additional days (both sessions or ~20 classes total).
This class is open to LRU faculty/staff and the public for a fee. Public: $100 for one day/week per term, $175 for two days/week and $225 for three days/week.
Instructor: Cathy Fodor has taught water aerobics, swimming lessons, lifeguarding and many other aquatic programs for over 30 years. She is a certified Silver Sneakers instructor and enjoys creating fun aqua workouts for older adults.
Functional Fitness – Int/Adv
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Looking to increase your balance, posture and gain flexibility in your everyday life? This workout class will concentrate on abdominal muscles, the back and your mid-section to build muscle strength and protect you from injury. Building your core can provide you a more stable base for your joints, improve your posture and coordination, and lead you to feel stronger with less strain. Participants are encouraged to wear tennis shoes, and bring water and a towel.
This is a fast-paced exercise class. Participants must be able to handle physical activity and be able to move easily and quickly up and down from the floor.
Members can register for up to three fitness classes total (plus a Water Aerobics if you are a Plus member). As part of the three fitness classes, you can take up to a maximum of two at your level, plus any number of general levels to total three fitness classes.
This program runs through both fall sessions for approximately 10-12 weeks. Specific dates will be listed in your registration confirmation.
Instructor: Andrea Peck, Ed.D. is an assistant professor in the Education Department at La Roche. She graduated from La Roche in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a minor in psychology. She holds a master’s degree from Chatham University, K-12 principal certification from Slippery Rock University, and a Superintendents Letter of Eligibility from California University of Pennsylvania. In 2015 she obtained a doctorate degree from the University of Pittsburgh in educational leadership.
Her passion for teaching and exercise is combined at Cyclebar North Hills, where she is an indoor cycling instructor, and at F45, where she will be a trainer in early 2022. Currently she is completing her coursework to become as NASM-certified personal trainer. Dr. Peck also competes annually in Spartan Races. This past year she completed her fourth Spartan Trifecta.
Better Balance Steady and Strong™
Section A: 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Section B: 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Are you looking for an exercise program designed to improve your everyday life? This course, led by a physical therapist, will focus on balance and core strengthening exercises.
Come join the fun and learn a program designed to improve your posture and daily function while also decreasing your risk of falls and injury. No special equipment is needed, and most of the exercises are completed standing. No part of the program involves getting up and down from the floor.
This program is suitable for beginners yet appropriate for those with more exercise experience, as it can be adapted to fit individual needs.
This class will begin Sept. 17 and end Oct.15. This is a beginner-level fitness course. Members may register for one of Diane Markovitz’s classes. Registration is open to those who have not used a registered spot for the class before. After Aug. 26, if spots remain, former students can register.
Instructor: Diane Markovitz is a licensed physical therapist with a degree from Marquette University’s School of Physical Therapy. She loves developing and teaching group exercise classes as it provides her with a way to use her physical therapy experience to reach more people.
Beginner Pilates
1:145 – 2:30 p.m.
This will be a mat-based class where exercises can be done lying down, seated or standing. This is a low-impact class where the focus is on core stability as well as balance, flexibility, breathing and strength. No equipment is needed for this class; however, we will utilize yoga mats for the floor-based portions.
Instructor: Shannon Mathis, PT, DPT is a certified Pilates instructor as well as a physical therapist. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in sports and exercise science from Gannon University. She then obtained her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Duke University. Her focus is on keeping everyone, no matter their age or ability, at a level of activity that maintains health and independence. She teaches group classes at her physical therapy wellness gym and enjoys teaching undergraduate students at La Roche University.
Writing About Food & Culture
2 – 3:30 p.m.
This class will encourage us to think about the meaningful connections between our food and our cultural heritages. We will explore our own relationship to growing, purchasing and cooking food over the course of our lives, and we will reflect on what we uncover about ourselves and our communities.
Together we will learn about and discuss gastrocriticism, read about food from a variety of perspectives, and dig into the historical and contemporary food scenes in Pittsburgh.
Each week we will work individually and collaboratively on a writing project related to our course topic. Our course goal is to write a completed, short piece about a topic related to food/agriculture and identity.
Instructor: Annie Malady is part-time faculty member in Point Park University’s Department of Literature, Culture and Society, and a professional writing tutor at La Roche University. They received a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Arts in English from Boston College.
Annie has taught writing and composition courses since 2019 and worked with community organizations addressing social inequities, such as food insecurity, in Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Honolulu. They are passionate about using writing as a tool to critically examine our lived world and foster meaningful connections to each other.
Movie Trivia
4 – 6 p.m.
Each class members will be placed in teams and challenged with movie trivia on different movie eras, actor/actresses, history of movies, and who said (famous quotes, themes, symbolism, etc.). Reminisce, learn facts you did not know and have a great time!
Instructor: Carrie Flickinger earned a Bachelor of Arts in communications and a minor in English from Duquesne University. She obtained an M.A. in corporate communication from Duquesne University and an M.S. in applied developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.
She has extensive teaching experience teaching sixth and seventh grade English and has taught at local universities such as, Carlow University, Chatham University, Duquesne University and Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, North Carolina. She is currently an adjunct faculty member in the Communication, Media and Technology Department at La Roche University.
In addition, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in communication and rhetorical studies with a focus on cyberspace. She has a four-and-a-half-year-old son, Liam, with a lot of energy and zest for life, and a new puppy named Pauppie who has kept her in shape!